The Man Who Walks In Without Knocking

The person who entered was Lee Jaehun.

He looked Garum up and down, from head to toe, while Garum stood completely naked.

His chest flushed red at the blatant stare.

“You’re blushing.”

“W-what?”

Not knowing how to respond, Garum stuttered.

Lee Jaehun came inside, sat on the sofa, and crossed his legs as if nothing was wrong.

“It’s time to tend to the potted plant.”

“W-wait!”

Garum quickly snatched the clothes from the floor and covered his front.

“A-at least let me get dressed first!”

And knock!
Even if he did owe him his life, this was too much!

“It’s fine. I’ve already seen your flimsy little body.”

“Who’s flimsy?!”

“You. Why won’t you build any muscle even when I make you train?”

Because that’s just my body type.

Holding back tears, Garum backed into the bathroom.

The moment he closed the door, he slid down it.

‘Uaaaaaghhh!’

To think he’d end up showing his naked body here!

Sniffling, he hurriedly put his clothes back on and stepped out.

He hesitated before sitting on the sofa.

Lee Jaehun held out the potted plant.

Garum immediately used his skill.

“Touch of the Sun!”

The improved skill emitted a faint light.

The light soaked into the plant several times.

During the process, Garum also drank multiple bottles of blue potion.

By the time tending the plant was over, Garum was nearly collapsing in exhaustion.

Rubbing his bloated stomach full of potion, he watched Lee Jaehun take the plant away.

“Build your body more.
With that body, you’ll die anywhere you go.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“I’ll assign a professional trainer.”

“No, I think that’s unnecessary!”

“No need to thank me.”

Who said anything about being thankful?

All gratitude vanished the moment he barged in and saw him naked.

It flew far, far away.

“Make sure you’re ready to start tomorrow.”

Lee Jaehun said calmly and left.

Finally, Garum lay down on the sofa, exhausted.

“I’ll just take a quick shower.”

The desire to soak in the bathtub disappeared completely.

“Here is the room you two will be staying in.”

A new guide, replacing Kang Yujun midway, spoke in a stiff voice.

He brought them to a 5-story building outside the main structure.

It seemed this was where the labor class lived.

Four people were assigned to one room.

Compared to Garum’s room, the conditions were much worse, but compared to the outside world, it was still heaven.

“It’s an empty room, so the two of you can use it for now.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Before Kang Jungbae could start causing trouble, Park Deokpal hurriedly dismissed the guide.

Then he looked around inside.

“Hyungnim! There’s even a shower here!”

“What?”

“A shower!”

They could finally wash.

Park Deokpal looked deeply moved.

“I’ll wash first!”

“You ungrateful brat!”

Kang Jungbae pointed at him, but Park Deokpal ignored him and rushed into the shower.

The water temperature couldn’t be adjusted, but outside they had washed with rainwater.

This was luxurious compared to that.

Park Deokpal scrubbed his grimy body with soap.

After several rounds of removing layers of dirt, his skin finally returned to its original color.

“Whew~!”

Whistling, he checked the mirror.

A sharp-eyed young man stared back.

Others would probably say he looked quite handsome.

He had even used this face to scam a few people before.

He dried himself with a towel and changed into the work clothes provided.

“These aren’t bad at all.”

“Not bad? My ass.”

Kang Jungbae grumbled as he entered the bathroom next.

He took quite a while washing too.

During that time, Park Deokpal lay on the bed.

It was far better than sleeping on bare ground.

With meals provided, it would be perfect.

Work would be required, but assisting Garum was something he was already used to.

‘And that damned Blood Stem isn’t here.’

Without that thing constantly attacking everyone except Garum, the work would be much more peaceful.

‘Still, I should think about the future too.’

Now that they were here, running away would be even harder.

His best chance of survival was sticking with Garum.

‘He really is crazy though.’

Why carry a potted plant like it was some sacred relic?

Even if it were his mother’s keepsake, he wouldn’t treat it like that.

“Ohh, refreshing!”

Hearing Kang Jungbae come out of the bathroom, Park Deokpal closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

He just wanted to rest.

Some time later, they went down to the cafeteria to eat.

Their trays had a chunk of unidentifiable meat and a bland vegetable porridge.

It filled their stomachs, but after remembering the potatoes and sweet potatoes they’d eaten recently, it felt lacking.

‘I should’ve eaten more back then.’

He’d have to talk to Garum about it later.

The next day, Garum was guided to the artificial farm.

The farm took up an entire floor of the massive building—huge and spacious.

The sky was covered by a ceiling, replaced by artificial lighting.

Soft, high-quality soil covered the ground.

Music flowed from somewhere.

Compared to picking stones out of terrible dirt, this was a completely different world.

“This is Artificial Farm Number 3. Normally, crops for the upper class are grown here. But since all authority has been handed to you, do as you wish.”

The guide handed him a card—the key to the farm.

“Can I get seeds too?”

“There should be various seeds stored in the warehouse inside.”

Garum already had plenty of seeds he’d produced through self-pollination.

He didn’t need more, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

‘I should test whether normal seeds give experience too.’

His plan was to plant half his own seeds, half from the warehouse.

The warehouse seeds were slightly larger, but otherwise seemed similar.

“We’re here!”

While estimating planting zones, Park Deokpal and Kang Jungbae arrived.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Garum turned, answering casually—then froze mid-sentence.

Park Deokpal had always been fairly good-looking.

But compared to Lee Jaehun, he seemed like a firefly beside the sun.

‘Because Jaehun is ridiculously handsome.’

But after washing and changing, Park Deokpal looked even better.

Yes, he really was a handsome guy.

Garum nodded and returned to work.

He divided the area into sections and ordered the two to dig holes.

Then he followed behind them, planting seeds with great care.

After a long while, when all seeds were planted, a status window popped up.

[Level Up!
Level Up!
You have reached Level 5 and unlocked an additional skill.]

An additional skill!

His heart pounded.

[*My Reliable Friend: You can create a scarecrow to protect your crops. After making it, shout “My Reliable Friend!”
Required materials — Two long wooden poles, rope, old clothes, cotton, a straw hat, marker.]

Crash.

All hope collapsed.

Of course.

What special skill would a farmer get?

Garum looked at the status window with a sorrowful expression.

“What’s with your face?”

“I finally hit Level 5.”

“Then you should be happy. Let me see, what’s the new skill?”

“Just help me gather these. Long wooden poles, rope, old clothes, a straw hat, and a marker.”

“That’s…!”

Park Deokpal shouted in shock.

Kang Jungbae immediately cut in.

“What are you acting surprised for? It’s just a scarecrow. But in an artificial farm? Do we even need a scarecrow? Isn’t that for chasing birds?”

“Still, since it’s a new skill, we should try making one.”

“A scarecrow?”

“It could be a special scarecrow.”

“Fine. Then you go gather the materials.”

“Please wait a moment!”

With confidence, Park Deokpal ran out and soon returned with everything.

“You actually got them?”

“I’m good at getting along with people. I poked around everywhere.”

Two old mop handles, a blue work uniform and a white T-shirt, a marker for drawing the face, cloth and cotton for stuffing, rope.

Perfect.

“Then let’s make it.”